Chance of Afternoon Showers/Thunderstorms

High: 91°F

Low: 72°F

It was a hot one this afternoon. Athens managed to climb into the low to mid 90s and a few degrees above normal for this time of year. Isolated showers and thunderstorms affected some of the southeast this afternoon, but Athens managed to dodge the wet activity. A few storms could manage to develop during the evening hours, but the chance remains low. As for tomorrow, an approaching front could help spur on a greater chance of afternoon showers and thunderstorms. Details are below in this evening’s post.

Quick Forecast

Tonight: Partly cloudy skies with a light west wind. Low near 72°F.

Friday: Partly cloudy with likely afternoon showers and thunderstorms. Heavy downpours possible where storms do form. High near 91°F.

Friday’s Forecast:

Overnight lows for this evening. Image Credit: WxBell

Wakeup temperatures will start off in the low to mid 70s across the region. Patchy fog should be minimal from the partly cloudy skies, but don’t be surprised if dense patches of fog are along the road near low lying area or over bridges.

High temperatures for tomorrow afternoon will be in the low 90s. Image Credit: WxBell

Tomorrow afternoon will be like this afternoon, only the chance of rain is a little higher. A cold front is pushing its way south from the Great Plains and will soon run into an atmosphere loaded with water from the Gulf of Mexico. Combine this with daytime instability created by our low 90 degree temperatures, and we could see some storms capable of dropping 0.25″ of rain in North Georgia. Bear in mind that not everyone will see rain, but those that do could see localized flooding occurring.

Saturday’s Forecast:

The cold front will stall over Georgia, but high pressure to the north should keep chances for afternoon showers and thunderstorm low. Image Credit: WPC NOAA

Tomorrow’s cold front looks to stall over North Georgia on Saturday. Normally a stationary front would bring increased chances for rain, but high pressure will nose its way into the region, keeping chances for rain to a minimum. Instead, we should primarily see partly cloudy skies and high temperatures in the low 90s once again.

Afternoon temperatures for Saturday afternoon. Image Credit: WxBell

Weather Outlook for the Eclipse:

Models are always pretty bullish the further out in time you try to check on the weather. Does the model show weather for a week and a half out? It does. Is it reliable? No. No it is not. Lucky for us, we are just four days away from the sight of a lifetime, and while there is the possibility of change, the above animation shows a somewhat steady pattern holding over the past eight model runs. The good news? No major weather system looks to impact the area. The not-so-bad news? Given the model output, it would appear the surface high just off the eastern seaboard will continue to increase, funneling southeast winds into the Southeast and our area. These winds will transport humid air from the Gulf of Mexico and contribute to chances for afternoon showers and thunderstorms in the region. However, we are still a little early out for pinpointing general areas that could see rain or how much rain. This is about the best possible solution we could expect in the Southeastern United States in mid to late August. Keep checking back and we’ll continue to bring the latest news!

Weather Video of the Day:

It’s time to start gearing up for the once in a lifetime event! That’s right, the moon still has its schedule of interfering with the sun’s light Monday afternoon. Why is it a big deal? Why don’t we see these things more often? Check out this detailed video below.

Michael is a graduate of the University of Georgia's Atmospheric Sciences program, obtaining a Bachelor of Science degree in Geography with a certificate in Atmospheric Sciences in the spring of 2016. He served as the former President of the University of Georgia's local chapter of the American Meteorological Society (AMS) during the 2014-2015 year and is currently an active member of the national American Meteorological Society. Michael participated in a National Science Foundation (NSF) funded research program at the Pennsylvania State University. There, he used the numerical weather prediction model, Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF), to research chemical dispersion in the boundary layer. He is currently pursuing a Master of Science degree at the University of South Carolina under the supervision of Dr. April L. Hiscox. His research will focus on boundary layer meteorology and modeling atmospheric dispersion. Although Michael appreciates all kinds of weather, he holds a certain fascination with convective storms and numerical weather prediction.